Three chilly recipes to help kick off ice cream season

Much as we love those classics, with so many crazy — and crazy delicious — flavor combinations flooding the freezer aisle of the supermarket, it’s hard to resist making some big, boldly flavored frozen concoctions of our own. We started with a bee sting parfait, inspired by the honey, almond and coconut-studded pastry of the same name.

For a cool and so-very-adult frappe, we combine strawberry ice cream with elderflower liqueur. And to cool off a crowd, we layer on the flavor with a salted caramel malted mocha ice cream cake.

BEE STING PARFAIT

Start to finish: 20 minutes

Servings: 2

2 tablespoons slivered almonds

2 tablespoons grated coconut, large flakes if available

2 tablespoons honey

1 banana, diced

1 pint vanilla ice cream

Heat the oven to 350 F. Spread the almonds and coconut on a rimmed baking sheet and bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until lightly golden brown. Place in the freezer to chill for 5 minutes.

To assemble the parfaits, add a teaspoon of coconut and almonds to the bottom of each parfait glass. Top with a tablespoon of banana and a drizzle of honey. Add a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Continue layering in this order until you’ve used all the ingredients and filled the glass. Serve immediately.

Heat the oven to 350 F. Coat a rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray and line it with kitchen parchment.

In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, brown sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt. In a liquid measuring cup, whisk together the instant coffee, malt powder, water and vinegar. Add the oil, then add the liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients. Whisk until smooth. Pour into the prepared pan and bake for 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted at the center comes out clean. Allow to cool completely.

When ready to assemble the cake, microwave the ice cream in 10-second increments until just slightly softened. Flip the cake out of the pan onto a cutting board. Remove the parchment and trim the edges off to make a neat rectangle. Cut the cake in half down the center (the short way), then cut each half in half again to create 4 even rectangles.

Place 1 piece of cake on a serving platter, then spread a third of the coffee ice cream over it. Top with a second piece of cake, then spread another third of ice cream over that. Repeat one more time, finishing with the last piece of cake. Place the assembled cake in the freezer to firm up for 20 minutes. The cake also can be tightly wrapped in plastic and frozen overnight. If so, let stand at room temperature for 10 minutes before slicing.

To serve, slice the cake into squares, then drizzle each serving with caramel sauce. Sprinkle with a few grains of sea salt and serve with fresh berries.